Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
The Buddha reads not just an individual's present mix of skillful and unskillful qualities but which quality's root is intact or broken, using that trajectory — not a snapshot — to predict whether they are liable to decline, not liable to decline, or, in Devadatta's specific case, already without a single fraction of goodness remaining.
A difficult declaration, defended rather than softened
This guide states plainly what the discourse itself states: the Buddha declared Devadatta bound for hell for a full eon, irredeemable, and defends this as the single most carefully deliberated judgment he had ever made about any individual. The sewer simile that follows — searching all around someone submerged in feces for even a hair's-tip of unstained skin, and finding none — is offered as the discourse's own image for what total absence of remaining goodness looks like, not a softer metaphor substituted for a harsh conclusion.
Six individuals, distinguished by trajectory, not snapshot
The Buddha's fuller teaching, prompted by this exchange, moves past Devadatta's single case to a general method: watching not merely whether skillful and unskillful qualities are both present, but which one's underlying root is “unbroken” and likely to grow, versus “about to be totally destroyed.” A first group of three individuals is judged by whether their skillful or unskillful root remains simply unbroken; a second group of three, added at Ānanda's own request, is judged by whether that root is unbroken but already nearing collapse.
Twelve similes for six individuals, doubled for precision
The first three individuals are illustrated with seed-and-field similes: seeds sown in fertile ground will grow if intact, will not grow on bare rock regardless of quality, and spoiled seeds will not grow even in fertile ground. The second three, describing individuals whose relevant root is not just present but “about to be totally destroyed,” receive an entirely different set of similes — embers on rock versus embers on kindling, sunset versus sunrise, cooling coals — images of momentum and imminent tipping points rather than static growing conditions.
A knowledge explicitly claimed as the Buddha's own, not a general method
The discourse frames this entire analysis as “the Realized One's knowledges of the faculties of persons,” introduced specifically because the original mendicant's doubt implied ordinary uncertainty applied to a case where the Buddha claims none existed. The teaching does not offer this six-fold reading as a method any observer could reliably apply; it is presented as what encompassing another's mind directly makes possible, which is exactly the capacity the questioning mendicant lacked.
Key terms
The text
A question about Devadatta
§1Then Venerable Ānanda together with several mendicants went to the Aciravatī River to bathe. When he had bathed and emerged from the water he stood in one robe drying his limbs. Then a certain mendicant went up to Venerable Ānanda, and said to him, “Reverend Ānanda, when the Buddha declared that Devadatta was going to a place of loss, to hell, there to remain for an eon, irredeemable, did he do so after wholeheartedly deliberating, or was this just a way of speaking?” “You’re right, reverend, that’s how the Buddha declared it.” Then Venerable Ānanda went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, and told him what had happened.
The Buddha's response, and the sewer simile
§2“Ānanda, that mendicant must be junior, recently gone forth, or else a foolish, incompetent senior mendicant. How on earth can he take something that I have declared categorically to be ambiguous? I do not see a single other individual about whom I have given such whole-hearted deliberation before making a declaration as I did in the case of Devadatta. As long as I saw even a fraction of a hair’s tip of goodness in Devadatta I did not declare that he was going to a place of loss, to hell, there to remain for an eon, irredeemable. But when I saw that there was not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of goodness in Devadatta I declared that he was going to a place of loss, to hell, there to remain for an eon, irredeemable. Suppose there was a sewer deeper than a man’s height, full to the brim with feces, and someone was sunk into it over their head. Then along comes a person who wants to help make them safe, who wants to lift them out of that sewer. But circling all around the sewer they couldn’t see even a fraction of a hair’s tip of that person that was not smeared with feces. In the same way, when I saw that there was not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of goodness in Devadatta I declared that he was going to a place of loss, to hell, there to remain for an eon, irredeemable. If you would all listen, Ānanda, I will analyze the Realized One’s knowledges of the faculties of persons.”
Three individuals, judged by an unbroken root
§3“Ānanda, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘The skillful qualities of this individual have vanished, but the unskillful qualities are still present. Nevertheless, their skillful root is unbroken, and from that the skillful will appear. So this individual is not liable to decline in the future.’ Suppose some seeds were intact, unspoiled, not weather-damaged, fertile, and well-kept. They’re sown in a well-prepared, productive field. Wouldn’t you know that those seeds would grow, increase, and mature?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … This individual is not liable to decline in the future … This is how another individual is known to the Realized One by encompassing their mind. And this is how the Realized One knows a person’s faculties by encompassing their mind. And this is how the Realized One knows the future origination of a person’s qualities by encompassing their mind. When I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘The unskillful qualities of this individual have vanished, but the skillful qualities are still present. Nevertheless, their unskillful root is unbroken, and from that the unskillful will appear. So this individual is still liable to decline in the future.’ Suppose some seeds were intact, unspoiled, not weather-damaged, fertile, and well-kept. And they were sown on a broad rock. Wouldn’t you know that those seeds would not grow, increase, and mature?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … This individual is still liable to decline in the future … This is how another individual is known to the Realized One … When I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘This individual has not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of goodness. They have exclusively dark, unskillful qualities. When their body breaks up, after death, they will be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.’ Suppose some seeds were broken, spoiled, weather-damaged. They’re sown in a well-prepared, productive field. Wouldn’t you know that those seeds would not grow, increase, and mature?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … ‘This individual has not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of goodness. They have exclusively dark, unskillful qualities. When their body breaks up, after death, they will be reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.’ …”
Three more, judged by a root nearing collapse
§4When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha, “Sir, can you describe three other individuals who share a portion of these three?” “I can, Ānanda,” said the Buddha. “Ānanda, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘The skillful qualities of this individual have vanished, but the unskillful qualities are still present. Nevertheless, their skillful root is unbroken, but it’s about to be totally destroyed. So this individual is still liable to decline in the future.’ Suppose that there were some burning coals, blazing and glowing. And they were placed on a broad rock. Wouldn’t you know that those coals would not grow, increase, and spread?” “Yes, sir.” “Or suppose it was the late afternoon and the sun was going down. Wouldn’t you know that the light was about to vanish and darkness appear?” “Yes, sir.” “Or suppose that it’s nearly time for the midnight meal. Wouldn’t you know that the light had vanished and the darkness appeared?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … This individual is still liable to decline in the future … When I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘The unskillful qualities of this individual have vanished, but the skillful qualities are still present. Nevertheless, their unskillful root is unbroken, but it’s about to be totally destroyed. So this individual is not liable to decline in the future.’ Suppose that there were some burning coals, blazing and glowing. They were placed on a pile of grass or timber. Wouldn’t you know that those coals would grow, increase, and spread?” “Yes, sir.” “Suppose it’s the crack of dawn and the sun is rising. Wouldn’t you know that the dark will vanish and the light appear?” “Yes, sir.” “Or suppose that it’s nearly time for the midday meal. Wouldn’t you know that the dark had vanished and the light appeared?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … This individual is not liable to decline in the future … When I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand: ‘Both skillful and unskillful qualities are found in this individual.’ After some time I encompass their mind and understand: ‘This individual has not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of unskillful qualities. They have exclusively bright, blameless qualities. They will become extinguished in this very life.’ Suppose that there were some cool, quenched coals. They were placed on a pile of grass or timber. Wouldn’t you know that those coals would not grow, increase, and spread?” “Yes, sir.” “In the same way, when I’ve comprehended the mind of an individual, I understand … ‘This individual has not even a fraction of a hair’s tip of unskillful qualities. They have exclusively bright, blameless qualities. They will become extinguished in this very life.’ This is how another individual is known to the Realized One by encompassing their mind. And this is how the Realized One knows a person’s faculties by encompassing their mind. And this is how the Realized One knows the future origination of a person’s qualities by encompassing their mind. And so, Ānanda, of the first three individuals one is not liable to decline, one is liable to decline, and one is bound for a place of loss, hell. And of the second three individuals, one is liable to decline, one is not liable to decline, and one is bound to become extinguished.”
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